Controlling mechanism for motor-vehicles.



R. HUFF.

CONTROLLING MEGHANISM FOR MOTOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 20, 1908.

1,029,685, Patented June 18, 1912.

wi tvwaoeo invrrnn s'rA Es PATENT OFFICE.

RUSSELL HUFF, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T PACKARD MOTOR CAR COMPANY, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN.

CONTROLLING MECHANISM FOR MOTOR-VEHICLES.

Patented June 18, 1912.

Application filed November 20, 1908.- Serial No. 463,666.

To all whom it may concern. Be it known that I, RUSSELL-I"IUFF, E1 c1t1- zen of the United States, and residing at Detroit, in the county of \Vayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Controlling Mechanism for Motor-Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to motor vehicles operated by internal combustion engines, and has particular reference to the means for controlling the operation of the carbureter which supplies the engine with the combustible mixture.

I have devised means for positively opening the ordinary suction air inlet valve of the carbureter and have so combined this means with the means for controlling the engine that the air valve will be positively opened when the engine is running at high speed, thus furnishing a free supply of air to combine with the gasolene to form in suiticient quantities the combustible mixture at the time when it is most needed. Ordinarily the carbureter of motorvehicles is provided with a main air inlet which is open and an auxiliary air inlet. The auxiliary inlet is provided with an inwardly opening valve normally held closed by a spring which is so weak as to permit the valve to be opened by suction within the apparatus. lVhen the engine is running at high speed the auxiliary inlet should be held open, but I have found that the suction does not maintain it opened against the tension of the spring, and for this reason Ihave devised my positive means for opening it.

In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 shows a side view of my controlling means and so much of the carbureter and motor vehicle as will enable one skilled in the art to understand the invention, certain parts being shown in section; and Fig. 2 is a plan view of the pedals.

My invent-ion is applied to an ordinary carbureter 1, which is provided with the main air inlet 2. which is normally open, and with the auxiliary air inlet 3, which is a normally closed by the inwardly opening valve 4. It will be understood that the air entering through the inlets 2' and 3 is carhureted by being mixed with gasolene which is supplied in the ordinary'way, and that this mixture passes up the intake pipe 5 to the engine cylinder. In the pipe 5 there is passes to the engine cylinder.

a butterfly throttle valve 6 pivoted upon a shaft 7, which valve controls the quantity but not the quality of the mixture which The valve 1 is provided with a stem 8 carrying at its upper end an adjustable nut 9 against the under-surface of which bears the weak spring 10 which serves to hold the valve 4 normally closed. A heavy or strong spring 11 also surrounds the valve stem 8 and serves as a. butter to limit the amount to which the valve is opened. The strength of the spring 10 is such that the suction within the carbureter will draw the valve l away from its seat against the tension of the spring, thus opening the auxiliary passage 3 for the air so that it may enter the carbureter and be combined with the gasolene. The nut 9 permits the tension of the spring 10 to be adjusted so as to control the amount to which the valve 4: will open under the influence of suction, and an additional meansfor adjusting this tension consists of a wedge 12 carried upon the end of the longitudinally movable rod 13 which is suitably connected to the vertical rotary rod 14: extending upon the inside of the vehicle dash 15 and provided at its upper end with a suitable handle 16 for operating it. ireans permits the driver of the vehicle to regulate the tension of the spring withoutstopping the vehicle orleaving his seat.

The auxiliary air valve above described and also the construction of the bottom of the carbureter are fully described in my prior application Serial No. 390,652, and are not herein claimed.

The throttle valve 6 is operated by an arm 17 secured to the shaft 7 and pivot-ally 'connected to the rod 18 which in turn is pivotally connected to the arm 19 of the bell crank lever 20 pivoted on theshaft 21. The upper arm of the bell crank lever 20 is in the form of a' pedal extending through the floor 22 of the motor vehicle and in a position to be copveniently operated by the driver.

This last mentioned 4 Other means for operating the throttle valve lever is turned upon its pivot bya sleeve 28 making engagement with the arm .29, the said sleeve being mounted on the steeringu post- 42 of the motor .vehicle and being moved longitudinally thereof by a hand 16.-

ver (not shown) on the steering wheel, and connections from said hand lever within the steering post to the sleeve 28.

The means for operating the throttle valve so far described are not claimed herein.

The novel features of the present invention relate to means for positively opening the valve 4. A bell crank lever pivoted at 30 has an arm 31 bearing upon the top 32 of:

the valve. stem 8 so that a depression of this arm will depress the valve 4 and consequently open it. This bell crank lever is operated by the rod 33 which is c'onnected to it at one end, and which is connected at its other end to the arm 34 of the bell crank lever 35 pivotally supported at 21 immediately beside the bell crank lever 20. It will be observed that the pedal arm of the lever 35 is at a lower level than that of the lever 20 and that being immediately adjacent the lever 20, the foot of the driver, in pressing down the lever 20, thus opening the throttle valve, will, after that valve has been opened a certain amount, strike the end of the lever 35, thus carrying that lever down with the throttle control lever; This positively opens and holds open the valve 4 when the throttle valve; 6 is-wideopen, which usually occurs when the engine is running at high speed. In orderto prevent breaking the parts of the mechanism I preferably make the rod 33 in two telescoping sections provided With the pin stop 36 and with the surrounding spring 37 held by the adjusting nut 38, and thus any undue strains'are taken up by the spring 37, which permits the rod to be longitudinally compressed.

While I prefer to operate my means for positively opening the auxiliary valve by'a separate pedal lever it will be understood that other means may be employed.

The relative arrangement of the two pedal levers above described brings about the proper timing of the operation of my controlling means, but in the drawings I have shown an additional means which may be used separately or in connection with that above described for securing not only the positive opening of the auxiliary air valve but also the proper timing. This additional means consists of a link arm 39 pivotally connected. at one end to the rod 33 and at the other end having a slot 40 engaging a pin 41 on the arm 17, which controls the throttle valve 6. ,It will be understood that when the arm 17 has moved a certain distance and the valve 6 has been opened a certain amount, the pin 41 will engage the end of the slot, thus moving the rod 33 and depress 7 ing the arm 31 bearing on top of the valve stem 8. I prefer'touse the two separate controlling levers 20 and 35 for controlling the throttle and air inlet valve, since the use of these levers not positively connected enables me to operate the throttle and the air valve independently if desired, but at the same time their relationship enables me to operate them together, if occasion demands, as above indicated.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is: H v

1.- In a motor vehicle including an internal combustion engine, the combination with a carbureter provided with an air inlet, of a valve for said inlet, yielding means tending normally to close said valve, an operating arm adjacent the driversseat on said vehicle, and means including a 'spring'connection from said arm for positively opening and holding open said valve.

2. In a motor vehicle including an internal combustion engine, the combination with a carbureter provided with an air inlet, of an inwardly opening valve for.said inlet, a weak spring tending to close said valve, a stronger spring in position to serve as a stop to limit the opening of the valve, an operating arm adjacent the drivers seat on said vehicle, and means including a spring connection from said arm for positively opening and holding open said valve.

3. In a motor vehicle including an internalcombustion engine, the combination with a carbureter, of an air inlet valve therefor, a throttle valve for controllingthe supply of combustible mixture from said carbureter to the engine, and means for positively opening said air inlet valve adapted to be'brought into operation when a predetermined amount of combustible mixture'is being supplied to the engine, and means whereby said throttle valve may be independently operated.

4; In a motor vehicle, including an internal combustion engine, the combination with a carbureter, of a normally closed air inlet valve therefor, a throttle valve for regulating the supply of combustible mixture from sald carbureter to the engine cylinder, means for controlli said throttle valve, and means .for positivelyopening said air inlet valve adapted to be automatically brought into operation when the throttle valve opened a predetermined amount.

5. In a motor vehicle includingan internal combustion engine, the combination with a. carbureter, of an air inlet valve therefor adapted to be automatically opened by the engine suction, a throttle valve for regulating the supply of combustlble mixture from said carbureter to the engine cylinder, a lever adjacent the drivers seat of the vehicle for controlling said throttle valve, and a lever adjacent said first mentioned leverfor positively opening said air inlet valve. v

6. In a motor vehicl eluding an internal combustionen'gin ,the ombination with a carbureter, of an air inlet valve therefor,

a throttle valve for regulating the supply of combustible mixture from said carbureter to the engine cylinder, a foot lever adjacent the drivers seat of the vehicle for controlling said throttle valve, and a lever adjacent said first mentioned lever but at a lower level for positively opening said air inlet valve and adapted to be brought into operation when: the throttle lever has been partially depressed.

7. In a motor vehicle, including an internal combustion engine, the combination with a carbureter, of means for controlling the supply of combustible mixture from said carbureter to the engine, means for controlling the quality of the mixture including a spring seated air valve and means fol-positively opening said air "alve, said means being so associated with the means for controlling the supply as to be brought into operation when the mixture is being supplied in a predetermined amount 8. In a motor vehicle, the combination with a plurality of motor controlling devices, of a plurality offoperating levers connected respectively to said devices, said levers having pedal portions substantially side by side transversely of the vehicle and ,adapted to be engaged simultaneously by one foot of the operator.

9. In a motor vehicle, the combination wlth motor controllingdevices, of a lever I having a pedal portion and connected to one of said devices, and another lever having a pedal portion and independently connected to another of said devices, said pedal portions being arranged substantially side by side transversely of the vehicle whereby both may be simultaneously operated by the foot of the driver.

10. In a motor-"vehicle, the combination with motor controlling devices, of a lever connected to one of said devices, and a second lever independently connected-to another of said devices and arranged adjacent the first lever and at a slightly lower level than said first lever, said levers having pedal portions extending in the same direction from their fulcrums, whereby the foot of the driver may depress the first lever slightly -controlling devices, said pedals being arranged substantially side by side transversely of the vehicle, whereby both levers may be simultaneously depressed by the foot of the driver.

12. In a motor vehicle including an internal combustion engine, the combination with a carbureter, of a throttle valve for controlling the supply of combustible mixture from said carbureter to the engine, an auxiliary inlet valve for said carbureter, and a plurality of levers having pedal portions and connected respectively to said throttle and auxiliary inlet valves, said pedal portions being arranged substantially side by side transversely of the vehicle and adapted to be engaged simultaneously by the footof the operator.

13.- In a motor vehicle including an internal combustion engine, the combination with a carbureter, of a throttle valve for controlling the. supply of combustible mixture from 'said carbureter to the engine, an auxiliary air inlet valve for said carbureter, and a plurality of levers having pedal portlons and connected respectively with said throttle and auxiliary air inlet valves, said pedal portions being arranged substantially side by side transversely of the vehicle and adapted to be engaged simultaneously by one foot of the operator. the pedal cont-rolling the air inlet valve being at a slightly lower level than the pedalcontrolling the throttle valve.

In testimony whereof I aliix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

' RUSSELL HUFE. lVitnesses C; I. DALE, HOWARD HARKxEss. 

